THERE were 'champagne' conditions for sailing out on The Solent for the opening day of Cowes Week 2024, but by the fourth day the lack of breeze left sailors feeling all the fizz had gone.

The classic conditions helped create some stand-out performances on Saturday (July 27).

They included Peter Morton’s TP52 Notorious, in IRC Class 0, which took line honours just two seconds ahead of Tony Langley’s Gladiator team, which won the Rolex TP52 World Championship earlier last month (July).

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Racing continue on Day 2, which was Family Day Sunday, although the sea breeze was not as effective for racers.

Family sailing has been a core feature of Cowes Week throughout its 198-year history, with family crews at the top of the leaderboard in several classes.

The Rouse family, for instance, has competed in the Contessa 32 class for decades, often with several generations involved.

The Jones family sailed from Ireland on their J/122 Jellybaby to compete at Cowes Week for the first time — starting the regatta in style, winning IRC Class 2, to top the leaderboard.

Racing kicked off dramatically on Monday (July 29), with the fastest yachts at the regatta starting close inshore and manoeuvring only a few boat lengths from the beach! 

Well powered up in the south-easterly breeze, the spectacle repeated for the following 20 classes that started on the Royal Yacht Squadron line, across various craft, from 65ft Black Group yachts, to the 20ft Flying 15 keelboats and the 113-year-old XOD fleet.

Monday was also Charity Day, highlighting the work of the regatta’s charities — The Tall Ships Youth Trust and RNLI — with several onshore events and demonstrations.

There are also some charities with boats competing throughout the regatta.

The Weekend Warriors Trophy, presented to the best scoring Club Cruiser, entered in only the first three days of the regatta, was won by Ali McGregor's Poncin 44 Sprint.

Day 4 was Women's Day at the regatta, which celebrates the achievements of the many female sailors in the sport, but there was no breeze to speak of and all racing was subsequently abandoned.